Fragrant Hills temple to be restored

A restoration project for the Fragrant Hills' Yong'an Temple complex was launched on May 29.

The project is one of Beijing's 100 major ancient architecture repair initiatives this year. Jingyi Garden in the Fragrant Hills will be restored in part alongside the work.

Yong'an Temple was first constructed in the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907) and underwent several rounds of repair and expansion during the later Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties.

In 1745, Qing Emperor Qianlong ordered the construction of Jingyi Garden within the Fragrant Hills, making Yong'an Temple one of the 28 scenes of the garden.

In 1860, the temple and most of the scenes of Jingyi Garden were burned down by Anglo-French allied forces during the Second Opium War.

"The restoration project will be based on reference points from on-site archaeology, written documentation and oil paintings," said Zhao Kang, deputy director of the Fragrant Hills gardens.

The remaining column bases, floor, glazed roof tiles and other parts are also important reference points, Zhao added.

Aside from the Yong'an Temple, 15 other scenes of the Jingyi Garden will be reconstructed. The overall project is expected to finish by 2014.